- BGG rank
- BGG #2,574
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Ghosts of Christmas
2019
Rules assistance for Ghosts of Christmas
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–4 players
- 40 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.3/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for Ghosts of Christmas
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ghosts of Christmas is a board game released in 2019 for 3–4 players, 40 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by 新澤 大樹 (Taiki Shinzawa) and its main mechanics are Trick-taking and Predictive Bid.
About the game
As winter blows in and ghosts start to appear, play "tricks" to the past, present, and future. As turns progress, your foes will play - out of order - to any of these time periods, and you will start to figure out who might "lead" each trick. Even though you can play to the tricks in any order, the tricks will resolve based on who was leading. Can you figure out who will be leading or manipulate the leader to set yourself up to win tricks? Points are awarded to whomever has correctly bid on the number of tricks they thought they'd win. If you’ve played as many hands as there are players, the game is now over, otherwise keep playing! Whoever has the highest score and collected the most wreaths wins the game! —description from publisher Time Palatrix is a trick-taking game played in four rounds of three tricks each. First the cards are dealt out, and players bid on how many tricks they think they will win. Each player has a mat with three numbered spaces for cards, and on their turn plays a card in one of those spaces. If that card is the first to be played in that number space, it sets the suit for that space. Other players must follow suit on that space, or play on a different space. Once all three tricks are complete, the winners are determined, the cards are cleared, and the next round begins. Points are awarded if you correctly bid on the number of tricks you won. —user summary
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- CMON Global Limited
- Allplay
- Ludofun
- BoardGameTables.com
- 倦怠期 (Kentaiki)
Questions and answers
Ghosts of Christmas supports 3–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Ghosts of Christmas is 40 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Ghosts of Christmas for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Ghosts of Christmas has a complexity rating of 2.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Ghosts of Christmas belongs to these categories: Card Game and Novel-based. Its main mechanics are Trick-taking and Predictive Bid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Ghosts of Christmas are: 新澤 大樹 (Taiki Shinzawa). These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Ghosts of Christmas as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.